Healthcare Terminology Glossary

This is your reference dictionary. You do not need to memorize all 150+ terms in one sitting. Instead, read through each category once, then return to this...

February 2026 · 18 min

Manual area

FC Training Programme

Coverage

10 sections

Operator notes

3 implementation notes

How to Use This Glossary

This is your reference dictionary. You do not need to memorize all 150+ terms in one sitting. Instead, read through each category once, then return to this page whenever you encounter an unfamiliar term during your training or implementation work.

Pro tip: Create flashcards for terms you keep forgetting. Within 4-6 weeks, most of these should become second nature.

Patient Identity & Registration

Term	Full Form	Meaning
UHID	Unique Hospital Identification	A unique ID assigned to every patient in a hospital. In Bio Ecko, auto-generated and stored in `patients.uhid`
MRN	Medical Record Number	Often used interchangeably with UHID. Some hospitals use a separate MRN for their paper file system
ABHA	Ayushman Bharat Health Account	India's national health ID under ABDM. A 14-digit number linked to Aadhaar or driving license
Demographics	--	Patient's personal information: name, age, gender, address, phone, emergency contact
NOK	Next of Kin	Emergency contact person for the patient
Guardian	--	Legal representative, especially for minors
Encounter	--	Any interaction between a patient and the healthcare facility (visit, admission, ED visit). Key concept in FHIR
Episode of Care	--	A group of related encounters for a single condition (e.g., all visits for a knee surgery from consultation through follow-up)

Clinical & Diagnostic Terms

Term	Full Form	Meaning
OPD	Out-Patient Department	Where patients are seen without admission
IPD	In-Patient Department	Where patients are admitted and stay overnight
ED / ER	Emergency Department / Room	24/7 emergency care
OT	Operation Theatre	Where surgeries are performed
ICU	Intensive Care Unit	For critically ill patients requiring continuous monitoring
NICU	Neonatal ICU	ICU for newborn babies
HDU	High Dependency Unit	Step-down from ICU, for patients needing close monitoring
CC	Chief Complaint	The main reason the patient came
HPI	History of Present Illness	Detailed story of current symptoms
Vitals	--	BP, pulse, temperature, respiratory rate, SpO2, weight
Dx	Diagnosis	The doctor's conclusion about the disease
DDx	Differential Diagnosis	Multiple possible diagnoses being considered
Rx	Prescription	Medication orders
Prognosis	--	Expected outcome of the disease
STAT	Statim (immediately)	Urgent -- needs to be done right now
PRN	Pro Re Nata (as needed)	Medication given when patient needs it, not on a fixed schedule
NPO / NBM	Nil Per Os / Nothing By Mouth	Patient must not eat or drink (usually before surgery)
LAMA / DAMA	Leave / Discharge Against Medical Advice	Patient leaves before doctor recommends
MLC	Medico-Legal Case	Case requiring police notification (assault, accident, poisoning, suicide)
BID / TID / QID	Twice / Thrice / Four times daily	Medication frequency abbreviations
OD	Once Daily	Medication given once per day
HS	Hora Somni (at bedtime)	Medication given at bedtime
AC / PC	Ante Cibum / Post Cibum	Before meals / After meals

Laboratory & Pathology Terms

Term	Full Form	Meaning
LIS	Laboratory Information System	Software that manages lab workflow -- the Lab module in Bio Ecko
TAT	Turnaround Time	Time from sample collection to result release
Reference Range	--	Normal value range for a test result (e.g., Hemoglobin: 12-16 g/dL for adult females)
Critical Value	--	A result so abnormal it requires immediate notification to the doctor
Panel / Profile	--	A group of tests ordered together (e.g., CBC panel, Liver Function Test panel)
CBC	Complete Blood Count	Most common blood test -- RBC, WBC, hemoglobin, platelets
LFT	Liver Function Test	Panel measuring liver enzymes and proteins
KFT / RFT	Kidney / Renal Function Test	Panel measuring kidney function markers
HbA1c	Glycated Hemoglobin	3-month average blood sugar indicator for diabetes
Culture & Sensitivity (C&S)	--	Growing bacteria from a sample and testing which antibiotics work
Phlebotomy	--	The act of drawing blood from a patient
Specimen	--	The sample collected (blood, urine, stool, swab, tissue)
Accession Number	--	Unique ID assigned to each specimen for tracking
QC	Quality Control	Daily calibration checks to ensure analyzer accuracy

Radiology & Imaging Terms

Term	Full Form	Meaning
RIS	Radiology Information System	Software managing radiology workflow -- Radiology module in Bio Ecko
PACS	Picture Archiving & Communication System	System that stores and displays medical images
DICOM	Digital Imaging & Communications in Medicine	The universal standard for medical images. Like JPEG, but for medical imaging
Modality	--	Type of imaging equipment: X-ray, CT, MRI, USG, PET, etc.
Study	--	A single imaging examination (e.g., one chest X-ray)
Series	--	A set of related images within a study (e.g., 200 slices in a CT scan)
Contrast	--	Dye injected to make certain structures visible (e.g., contrast CT)
Dose	--	Amount of radiation exposure. Tracked for AERB compliance
Worklist	--	The queue of studies waiting to be read/reported by the radiologist
BIRADS	Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System	Standardized mammography reporting scale (0-6)

Pharmacy & Medication Terms

Term	Full Form	Meaning
Formulary	--	The approved list of drugs available in the hospital pharmacy
Generic Name	--	The scientific name of a drug (e.g., Paracetamol)
Brand Name	--	The commercial name (e.g., Crocin, Dolo)
Strength	--	Amount of active ingredient (e.g., 500mg)
Formulation	--	Physical form: tablet, capsule, syrup, injection, ointment
Route	--	How the drug enters the body: oral, IV, IM, SC, topical
GRN	Goods Received Note	Document confirming receipt of stock from supplier
FEFO	First Expiry, First Out	Dispensing method: drugs expiring soonest are dispensed first
Schedule H / H1 / X	--	Indian drug schedule categories requiring prescription, record-keeping, or additional controls
ADR	Adverse Drug Reaction	Unwanted side effect from a medication
MAR	Medication Administration Record	Chart tracking which nurse gave which drug at what time
Drug Interaction	--	When two drugs taken together cause harmful effects
Controlled Substance	--	Drugs with abuse potential (narcotics, psychotropics) requiring strict tracking

Billing & Revenue Cycle Terms

Term	Full Form	Meaning
TPA	Third Party Administrator	Insurance intermediary that processes claims on behalf of insurance companies
Pre-auth	Pre-authorization	Insurance approval obtained before treatment begins
Cashless	--	Patient pays nothing upfront; hospital bills insurance directly
Reimbursement	--	Patient pays upfront; claims from insurance later
Tariff	--	Price list for hospital services
Fee Schedule	--	Mapping of services to prices, can vary by doctor/department/insurance
CGHS	Central Government Health Scheme	Government insurance for central government employees
PMJAY	Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana	Government scheme providing up to Rs 5 lakh coverage for poor families
ESIS	Employees' State Insurance Scheme	Insurance for organized sector workers
Claim	--	Request for payment submitted to insurance company
Denial	--	Insurance company rejects a claim
AR	Accounts Receivable	Money owed to the hospital (unpaid bills, pending insurance claims)
AP	Accounts Payable	Money the hospital owes to suppliers
GL	General Ledger	The master accounting record of all financial transactions
MIS	Management Information System	Reports and dashboards for hospital management decision-making

Technology & Standards Terms

Term	Full Form	Meaning
EMR	Electronic Medical Record	Digital version of a patient's chart. In Bio Ecko, this is the Clinical Core module
EHR	Electronic Health Record	Broader than EMR -- includes data from multiple facilities. What ABDM aims to create
HIS	Hospital Information System	The overall software system running the hospital (Bio Ecko is an HIS)
HL7	Health Level Seven	International standard for exchanging healthcare data between systems
FHIR	Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources	Modern REST-API-based standard by HL7. The standard used by ABDM
ICD-10	International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision	WHO standard for coding diagnoses (e.g., J06.9 = Upper Respiratory Infection)
SNOMED-CT	Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Terms	Most comprehensive clinical terminology system in the world
LOINC	Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes	Standard for lab test and observation codes
CPT	Current Procedural Terminology	Codes for medical procedures (used primarily in US, but referenced in India)
DRG	Diagnosis Related Group	Grouping system for classifying inpatient stays for payment purposes
ABDM	Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission	India's national digital health initiative
ABHA	Ayushman Bharat Health Account	National health ID under ABDM
HFR	Health Facility Registry	National registry of all healthcare facilities under ABDM
RLS	Row Level Security	Database-level access control ensuring users only see their own org's data. Core to Bio Ecko's multi-tenant model

Accreditation & Compliance Terms

Term	Full Form	Meaning
NABH	National Accreditation Board for Hospitals	India's primary hospital quality accreditation body
NABL	National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories	Lab-specific accreditation
JCI	Joint Commission International	International hospital accreditation (gold standard globally)
QI	Quality Indicators	Measurable metrics tracked for accreditation (e.g., hospital infection rate)
IPSG	International Patient Safety Goals	Six safety goals that every accredited hospital must meet
SOP	Standard Operating Procedure	Documented step-by-step process for performing a task
BMW	Biomedical Waste Management	Legal framework for handling hospital waste
AERB	Atomic Energy Regulatory Board	Regulates radiation-emitting equipment (X-ray, CT, nuclear medicine)
CEA	Clinical Establishments Act	Indian law requiring hospital registration and minimum standards
PCPNDT	Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act	Law prohibiting sex determination -- radiology USG machines must comply
NMC	National Medical Commission	Regulator for medical education and practice in India

Exercise: Terminology Self-Test

Test yourself by answering without looking:

What is the difference between EMR and EHR?
What does STAT mean and how does Bio Ecko handle it differently from routine?
What is a TPA and what role do they play in cashless billing?
What are the 5 Rights of Medication and which Bio Ecko features enforce them?
What is FEFO and why does it matter in pharmacy?
What is the difference between ICD-10 and SNOMED-CT?
What does ABHA stand for and what is its purpose?
What is NABH and why would a hospital want accreditation?
What is TAT and what are typical targets for lab vs radiology?
What is RLS and why is it critical in Bio Ecko?

Score yourself: 8-10 correct = excellent, move on. 5-7 = review the weak areas. Under 5 = re-read this page carefully before proceeding.

Notes

Tip

During client meetings, if someone uses a term you do not know, do not pretend you understand. Ask: 'Could you explain what you mean by [term] in your specific context?' Hospital staff appreciate honesty and will respect you more for asking.

Info

Many terms have regional variations. In South India, OPD may be called 'OP' and IPD called 'IP'. In government hospitals, 'casualty' is used instead of 'emergency department'. Always learn the local vocabulary.

Warning

Do not confuse medical terminology with Bio Ecko field names. The clinical term 'encounter' maps to different tables depending on context: opd_visits for OPD, admissions for IPD, triage_assessments for ED. Always clarify which Bio Ecko entity a clinical term maps to.